September 17: It Was a Monday
by cursedcursive
Summary: Kurama can't ease his mind when a guilty memory comes back to haunt him, but even so, Ami wants to try and help. Chapter two contains cute Ami x Kurama fluff! Don't act like you don't want to see.
1. Chapter 1

The day was September 17. It was a Monday. Rain poured from the skies and blurred the windows of class B. Sitting to the back of the room, gazing out one of these windows sat Ami Nekota. Her eyes were bright despite the gloom of the day as she continuously ate sticks of pocky and bags of potato chips.

"Honestly, Ami, if you keep eating that you'll get fat," her friend Kei said, walking over to Ami's desk. Ami looked up at her, her expression unchanging.

"It's alright! Ever since I drank the water of evolution, I can't stop eating," Ami muttered with a mouthful of bread. "Besides, I don't really gain weight anyways." Kei glared at her.

"Yeah," she said bitterly. "I know."

As the two continued their conversation (Kei a now little more angry), the other girls in the class began to gossip loudly.

"Hey, hey," they said. "Don't you think Kurama's acting kind of strange today?" Ami's ears perked up.

"Yeah, I think so too! Almost like he's, I don't know, kind of depressed?"

"Yeah yeah, I think that's it."

"There he is now!" The girls all turned to the doorway. Ami's eyes followed. "Kurama!"

The crow didn't even stop walking. His hands in his pockets and his shoulders slumped, he walked right past the door to the classroom.

"Huh? What the hell was that?"

"I know right? I mean, you can go ahead and be as sad as you want to be, but don't just up and ignore someone."

"Hey," one girl said. "Don't you think he's kinda looking down on us?"

"Definitely. Don't get so high and mighty just because you're some big star." Metal chair legs squeaked as Ami leapt from her chair.

"Th-that's not true!" She cried. Kei, just as shocked as the other girls were, looked at Ami. "Kurama's a good person. I'm sure he doesn't think of anybody like that! He's caring and respectful, and he always says hello to his fans, no matter who they are!" Her hands began shaking. "And, um, he always gets straight A's, s-so, um-"

"Then why didn't he say hi to us?"

"Yeah, Nekota. Why not? You seem to be quite the expert on Kurama." The girls began to giggle. "Got a crush?"

Ami froze. Her face turned bright red as she tucked her fluffy long hair behind her ear with one hand and her skirt with the other; a nervous tick she always had.

"I-I don't-" she whispered.

"Speak up!" Ami winced. The whole class was silent now. Ami scanned the room, the boys making cat gestures while the girls just whispered to each other. Not knowing what else to do, Ami ran out of the room.

"You see?" The girls smirked. "Little red has a crush on the school celebrity. That's _so _cute."

* * *

It was September 17. It was a Monday. Rain poured from the skies and blurred the windows of the empty hallways that Ami Nekota ran through. Stopping to catch her breathe, she found herself at the eastern half of the school where the gym was. Her eyes stung, tears threatening to form.

"Ami?" A voice spoke. Ami looked up. There stood Nanami, bearing a deep look of concern. "Are you okay?" Ami stared at her for a few seconds before bursting into tears.

"NANAMIIIII!" She cried, flinging herself into the land god's arms.

"A-Ami?" She questioned. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"It's Kurama," she hiccuped.

"Kurama?"

"He's been acting depressed all day, and the girls in class got upset at him! But when I tried to defend him, they targeted me instead!" The pink haired girl continued to sob into Nanami's blazer.

"What's wrong with Kurama?" She asked. Ami paused.

"I don't know," she replied, looking depressed. "But he won't talk to anybody, not even to his teachers." Nanami put her hand on Ami's shoulder.

"Why don't you try talking to him?" Nanami flashed a brilliant smile at the girl. Ami blushed.

"H-he wouldn't talk to me either," she stuttered. "After all, we're just friends."

"Exactly! He'll open up to you since you're his friend, Ami!" Ami stopped crying.

"You think so?"

"I know so!" She laughed. Ami began to smile.

"Okay!"

* * *

It was September 17. It was a Monday. Rain poured from the skies and blurred the windows as Ami walked through the hallways of the school, searching for Kurama.

_Just ask him how he's doing, _she thought to herself. She had been repeating those words for the past ten minutes, for she found that her legs would stop moving if she didn't. _Just ask him how's he doing. _

No sooner had she repeated the words for the thirteenth time did she spot Kurama walking over to the stairs.

"Kura-" She stopped herself when she saw what he was doing. He was taking the stairs to the roof, where it was raining. _Kurama?_ Watching as he entered the stairwell, she quickly ran after him to catch up. He was already at the top of the stairs when she had caught up enough to see his face.

The crow's eyes were blank and expressionless, his mouth sewn shut into one straight line. Ami, startled by his expression, called out to him.

"Kurama!" The man paused at the door to the roof.

"Ami?" He turned to look at her. "What is it?" For a brief moment, he had looked startled. Now, the empty look returned.

"U-um," _just ask him how he's doing. _She gripped her skirt with her left hand. "How are you doing?" The celebrity paused, confused by the question.

"Fine."

"O-oh," she stammered, caught off guard by the bluntness of the response.

"Anything else?" He sighed and turned away from her as he reached for the door knob.

"Yeah!" She cried, louder than she intended, but not stopping. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, you can always talk to any of us, y'know! We'll all be here for you! Nanami, Tomoe, Kei, and, um, me too!" Her volume increased. "S-so, don't try to handle everything by yourself, okay? You can lean on us for support sometimes. We'll always be here to offer it!" An awkward silence followed Ami's outburst, yet the two locked eyes the whole time.

Kurama made the first move. He walked down the stairs to where Ami

was. He stared at her for a while, Ami fidgeting under his intense stare. Then, he did something surprising: He leaned his head down on her shoulder. Ami, naturally, was taken by complete surprise at the action.

"K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K-Kurama?" Her voice hitched as her body went rigid. Ami could feel her face heating up. "Wha-"

"Just let me stay like this for a while." Ami gulped, then calmed down.

"Okay." As the two stood there for what seemed like hours, Ami slowly got more comfortable. She began patting his head and wrapped her arms around him. After a while, Kurama spoke up.

"Today's the anniversary of my brother's accident," he said. "When I was younger, I made my way down into this room where an incredibly powerful yokai was being held. Right when I was about to be killed, my brother, Suiro stepped in and shielded me." Ami remained silent. "Because of that, his wings got burned to a crisp and had to be removed." His voice broke. "He can't fly anymore. And it's all my fault. I took away his flight, his _everything,_ just because I was too curious to not follow the rules." Ami could feel his tears landing on her jacket.

"But," she interjected. "You're still okay. And I'm sure your brother will never regret what he did because it saved your, his little brother's, life. Why not just be thankful for the life that he saved and live everyday to your fullest?" Kurama took his head off her shoulder and looked at her. "After all, I'm sure that's what your brother would want for you."

"Ami," he whispered. The girl flashed him a bright and beautiful smile. And, even though the crow would never admit it, he smiled a little, too.

It was September 17. It was a Monday. And the rain had stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It had been two days since Kurama and Ami had their… special moment. Ami, hoping that the instance had brought the two closer, tried to talk to Kurama whenever the moment seemed right. She wanted to be friends with him, after all. But every time she called out to him, he would find some way to get away from her, leaving Ami confused and upset.

"I don't understand," Ami whined during lunch. "I just want to talk to him. Why does he keep running away?"

"Beats me," Kei said nonchalantly. "All men are like that. They show you the slightest amount of kindness, then act like you don't exist."

"Kei, you're crushing your juice box."

"Maybe he's still upset?" Nanami interjected.

"Oh, no! Do you think I made things worse?" Ami began to tear up.

"No no no no no!" Nanami hysterically reassured the girl. "I'm sure it's just something he needs to get over himself, is all! I'm sure you were a great help, Ami."

"It's just that whenever I think about it, I get all embarrassed. His head on my shoulder, he was so vulnerable, and his hair was so soft." Ami's face heated up dramatically. "Maybe I should try talking to him one more time," She said, getting ready to get up and go find Kurama.

"If it were me, I would be extremely humiliated." The three turned their heads to the speaker.

"Tomoe!" Nanami said, her own face blushing a bit.

"What do you mean, 'humiliated,' Tomoe?" Ami inquired, her voice hesitant. The fox always did intimidate the poor girl. He stared at her.

"You saw him in a weak state," the familiar said without reserve.

"I don't understand," Ami whispered. Tomoe sighed, looking considerably frustrated.

"Look, Ami, you're a _human. _Kurama is a crow demon. We demons are much more powerful than you are and are therefore higher in ranking and ability, if there was a list," Tomoe hissed. "It's like a child seeing a grown man have a nightmare."

"Then maybe he shouldn't be so self-centered!" Nanami cried, angry at her familiar's comment. "And what's with you today, anyways? You've been grumpy since I woke up this morning."

"It's none of your business," Tomoe scoffed. "Go back to eating." Nanami growled at him but obeyed his order.

"So it is my fault, then," Ami uttered, dejected.

"It'll be okay, Ami," Kei offered. "Just keep trying. He can't avoid you forever, can he?" Ami smiled slightly.

"Yeah, you're right!" Ami said. "I'm going to go find Kurama right now and talk to him!"

"Good luck Ami!" Nanami said to the pink haired girl.

As soon as she left the classroom, Ami began her search. Ami made sure to check the music room first. After all, he was a singer. Maybe he'd be sitting on the piano or something? No such luck, though. Ami found the room empty when she got there.

She proceeded to check the roof after that. "He was heading up here yesterday, so maybe he's here now!" Ami said aloud as she enthusiastically ran up the stairs. Ever since her transformation back into a human, she found herself experiencing sudden bursts of energy, so she had been going on runs a lot lately. As she reached the top, she threw open the door and cried, "Kurama!" However, the roof was also void of life. "Not here either," she said, her fervor lesser than it was before. "Just gotta keep looking," she muttered to herself as she ran down the staircases back to the ground floor.

As she ran through the eastern hallways, she caught a glimpse of something moving out in the courtyard. Ami turned her head and found him. _Kurama! _She smiled. Walking out into the courtyard, Ami thread her fingers together behind her back. Noticing that Kurama had yet to take note of her, she followed the path of his eyes.

He was sitting on a bench facing a rather large tree, looking up at a bird's nest. In it were three birds, chirping away and flitting about. Ami walked closer.

Hearing someone approaching, Kurama quickly turned around. Upon seeing Ami, he turned back to the tree just as fast.

"Hey Kurama," Ami spoke softly as she sat down next to him. He remained silent. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Just a little," the crow responded after a pause. "I'm sorry that you had to see me in such a pitiful state."

"Not at all," Ami said, shaking her head. "I was glad that you came to me for comfort. It made me feel important." Kurama hesitated.

"You are important." Ami froze, turning to face Kurama who was still looking at the nest. "You helped me a lot, Ami. Don't think for a second that I'm not grateful. For that, I'm eternally thankful."

"Huh?" Kurama turned to face Ami, and finally noticed her expression. Ami's face had turned red like a strawberry and her brown eyes were wide with surprise. Seeing her like this, Kurama's cheeks heated up as well, sharing in her embarrassment. "Th-thank you," Ami stuttered.

"N-not a p-problem." The two sat in awkward silence for what felt like hours on end. Finally, Ami got the courage to speak up first.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, just like I told you before, you can always talk to me." The extreme redness in her face toned down to a light pink. "I'm always on your side, no matter what, Kurama." Kurama turned and smiled at her.

"Thanks." The two locked eyes. Kurama repositioned his hand so it was just barely touching Ami's fingertips. "Really, thank you, Ami."

Ami's eyes glazed over. "It's no problem." The two leaned in, Ami closing her eyes halfway through. She felt Kurama's hand ghosting over her cheek, so she placed her own hand on top of his, feeling the warmth of his palm pressing against her face. The first kiss was gentle, delicate. Their lips touched only briefly, but it was enough. Kurama opened his eyes slightly before he closed them again as he kissed her a second time, this one longer and with more confidence. After Kurama let Ami go, Ami weaved her fingers into his and looked him in the eyes. She smiled at him and said "Let's go back to class. Everyone's worried about you." Kurama simply stared at her and said,

"Sure."

As the two walked back to the classroom together, Ami could have sworn that she felt a single feather tickling at her fingertips.


End file.
